U.S. Told to Pay Debt or Lose Vote

The United States must pay the United Nations “at least” $250 million by the end of December to avoid losing its vote in the General Assembly, said Joseph Connor, the world body’s undersecretary-general for management. Connor said that nearly $1.7 billion owed by Washington--a number that has been disputed--has left the world body without capital. The loss of a vote in the General Assembly would be an embarrassment, but it would not affect Washington’s veto power in the Security Council, the most powerful decision-making body at the United Nations.